USGS is studying the impacts of previous Atmospheric Rivers (storms that are generally long and narrow and carry tremendous amounts of water vapor) and uses this information to inform flood-management strategies for the future.
One climate-induced change that is projected for the Bay-Delta and California as a whole is more frequent extreme weather events (such as severe storms and extreme drought). Massive floods could overwhelm levees and flood adjacent communities in the Bay-Delta. To help with disaster planning and assist with flood preparedness in California, USGS and its partners created “ARkStorm,” a statewide storm disaster scenario, which is serving as the basis for Northern California’s Catastrophic Flood Plan. ARkStorm provides scenarios of the potential physical, social, and economic impacts from modern-day severe storms that could be followed by natural hazards such as landslides and flooding. Scenarios are based on simulations of atmospheric river (AR) storms (also known in California as a “pineapple express”)—a meteorological phenomenon—such as the extreme winter storms in the 1860s in California that left much of the Central Valley flooded and impassible. These storms are generally long and narrow, carry tremendous amounts of water vapor, and strike the west coasts of most continents and landmasses. The extreme precipitation that they can bring could be dangerous for low-lying areas of the Bay-Delta, causing flooding, stress on levee systems, and levee overtopping. In higher relief areas, extreme precipitation could cause landslides. USGS is studying the impacts of previous AR storms and uses this information to inform flood-management strategies for the future. These analyses are also aiding in the development of a landslide vulnerability system to identify the potential for onset of landslides that could threaten San Francisco Bay region communities.
For more information see:
Overview of the ARkStorm Scenario
San Francisco Bay Region Landslide Information
Back to San Francisco Bay-Delta Science
- Overview
USGS is studying the impacts of previous Atmospheric Rivers (storms that are generally long and narrow and carry tremendous amounts of water vapor) and uses this information to inform flood-management strategies for the future.
One climate-induced change that is projected for the Bay-Delta and California as a whole is more frequent extreme weather events (such as severe storms and extreme drought). Massive floods could overwhelm levees and flood adjacent communities in the Bay-Delta. To help with disaster planning and assist with flood preparedness in California, USGS and its partners created “ARkStorm,” a statewide storm disaster scenario, which is serving as the basis for Northern California’s Catastrophic Flood Plan. ARkStorm provides scenarios of the potential physical, social, and economic impacts from modern-day severe storms that could be followed by natural hazards such as landslides and flooding. Scenarios are based on simulations of atmospheric river (AR) storms (also known in California as a “pineapple express”)—a meteorological phenomenon—such as the extreme winter storms in the 1860s in California that left much of the Central Valley flooded and impassible. These storms are generally long and narrow, carry tremendous amounts of water vapor, and strike the west coasts of most continents and landmasses. The extreme precipitation that they can bring could be dangerous for low-lying areas of the Bay-Delta, causing flooding, stress on levee systems, and levee overtopping. In higher relief areas, extreme precipitation could cause landslides. USGS is studying the impacts of previous AR storms and uses this information to inform flood-management strategies for the future. These analyses are also aiding in the development of a landslide vulnerability system to identify the potential for onset of landslides that could threaten San Francisco Bay region communities.
For more information see:
Overview of the ARkStorm Scenario
San Francisco Bay Region Landslide Information
Back to San Francisco Bay-Delta Science